Service or valve box.



G. SCHUMAGHER. SERVIOEOR VALVE BOX. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 25, 1910.

Patented May 28, 1912.

GERARD SCHUMACI-IER, or ANNIs'roN, ALABAMA.

A SERVICE OR VALVE BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 28,1912.

Application filed January 25, 1910. Serial No. 540,093.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GERARD SOHUMAGHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Anniston, Calhoun count-y, Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Service or Valve Boxes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to certain improvements in covers for meter, valve, service, and other boxes and the objects and nature of my invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art in the light of the following explanation of the accompanying drawings illustrating what I now consider my preferred embodiment from among other formations and arrangements within the spirit and scope of my invention.

An object of the invention is to provide an exceedingly simple and durable cover of an improved format-ion for closing the top openings into service, valve, meter or other boxes usually set in roadways, side walks or elsewhere on public highways and whereby the cover can be removed only by continued lifting or upward movement parallel with the'axis of the opening or manhole through the medium or instrumentality of a special tool or implement.

The invention consists in certain novel features in construction or arrangement, or in combinations or arrangements of parts or features as more fully and particularly set forth hereinafter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:Figure 1, is a top plan view of a meter, valve, service or other box showing in top plan a cover of my construction closing the opening or manhole 'of said box. Fig. 2, is a vertical section in the plane of the line 2-2, Fig. 1, showing the special lifting tool applied to the cover. Fig. 3, is a partial section in the plane of the line 3-3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4, is a section taken in the same plane as that of Fig. 2, but showing the cover held in elevated or lifted position by the special -tool.

Thousands of service, roadway, meter, valve or other boxes are now in use set or buried in public highways, streets, side walks, etc., and often closed by cast iron covers fastened by brass screws having peculiarly formed heads to fit corresponding keys or the like. These brass screws are often broken, lost or stolen enabling the covers to be readily displaced and wrong fully removed or misplaced rendering the boxes useless. I have produced a cover for such boxes and the like, which is without separate or added locking screws, keys or other devices, but which is locked against accidental or unauthorized removal, lnas- 5 much as said cover can be removed only when moved upward or lifted in a certain line or direction while being maintained in a certain particular position, and which hence requires a special tool or implement for thus lifting and maintaining the position of the cover.

In the specific example shown in the accompanying drawings, 1, is the cast iron (or other suitable material) top wall of any suitable service or other box having the vertical flange 2, surrounding the top opening into said box, and this flange can be formed with the internal stop or supporting ribs or lugs 3, for upholding the box or 0 top extension 4:, having vertical series of external ribs or lugs 5, adapted to rest on the lugs 3, for upholding the extension in the box opening in the desired vertical adjustment, as will be readily understood by 5 those skilled in the art. The extension 4, extends vertically through the box opening within the flange 2, and is designed to support the cover at the desired distance from and above the box top wall. The extension is usually internally approximately smooth and approximately cylindrical, and is formedwith a bell-shaped or flared upper end 6, internally countersunk or annularly recessedto form the depressed cover seat 7, having a vertically disposed usually slightly flaring surrounding or annular wall.

8, is the plain or flat disk-like cover usually cast in one piece with a depending approximately cylindrical skirt, hollow shank or extension 9, of a reduced diameter with respect to the diameter of the cover or disk proper. The cover or disk proper is of a size to fit down snugly in the seat 7, of

the upper end of the box extension with the top face of the cover flush or approximately flush with the top edge of said box extension, and with the cover resting on and supported by the floor or shoulder of said seat and with the skirt depending into the box extension below said seat and snugly fitting within said extensionto prevent tilting or rocking of the cover. The peripheral edge of the cover proper or disk can be slightly beveled or flared to correspond with 5 the flare or bevel of the surroundingwall of the cover seat 7. It will hence be observed that the cover cannot be removed by tilting the same, but in order to remove the cover it must be lifted or moved upwardly in a direct "ertical line parallel with the axis of the box opening and that while being thus lifted the cover must be maintained in its normal horizontal position until its depending skirt or extension is clear of the vertical wall of the box openin In order the possibility of thus lifting the cover by the application of the fingers or hands thereto but so as to require a special tool. For instance, in the specific example illustrated, I show the cover disk formed with diametrically opposite shallow edge depressions,

sockets or recesses 10, of suflieient width to admit the'points or jaws of a lifting tool into the cover seat or socket of the box wall, 1 and the edge of the cover at said recesses is preferably inclined downwardly and inwardly to form shoulders under which said tool points can catch or engage and to therer by form the recesses under-cut.

Various special lifting tools or implements can be employed and my invention is not limited to any particular structure or formation of cover lifting device, but thecover is so formed that it cannot be lifted except by application of a special key or tool, and as an example of a convenient form of lifting implement, I show lifting tongs consisting of a pair of crossed pivoted handles or levers 11, at their lower free ends having the inwardly and downwardly inclined'lifting pointsor jaws 12, and at their upper ends having the hand holds 13. The

manipulation ofthe lifting tongs in raising h the cover will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

My invention is not limited to applicae tion to box openings, the cover receiving wall of which is formed by a box extension, inasmuch as the cover can be applied to opening walls formed integral with the box except by the special tool. or key required,- and that the extension 9, is so elongated and snugly fitted in the wall of the box, as to absolutely require application of the special tool to remove the cover, thereby preventing unauthorized dislodgment and removal of the covers by hand or by application of picks, bars or implements other than the special key-constituting tool.

That I claim is 1. A service or valve box, or the like, having an opening surrounded by a vertical wall having a cover-receiving seat slightly below the opening, in combination with a cover fitted down in said seat and having elongated means depending within and snugly fitting saidwall to confine the cover against removal except by extensive vertical movement parallel with the axis of said opening, said cover formed with diametrically-opposite edge recesses adapted to receive only a special, removable cover-lifting implement, by which implement alone the cover can belifted.

2. A service or valve box, or the like, having an opening surrounded by a vertical wall having a top-depressed cover-receiving seat slightly below the opening, in combination with a cover fitted down insaid seat and having an elongated depending extension within and snugly fitting said wall to confine the cover against removal except by extensive vertical movement parallel with the axis of said opening, said cover formed with diametrically-opposite undercut edge depressions adapted to receive only a special key-constituting cover-lifting implement by which implement .alone the cover can be lifted.

In testimony whereof Infiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

GERARD SCHUMAGI-IER. Witnesses S- F; lVIORRIS, I-IENRY'A. 'IAznn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

- 1 Washington, D. G. 

